Found
by FlightyBird
Summary: (Sequel to Hidden) It's been ten years since Arthur did something terrible to Alfred. Having run away from it when he was younger, he came to Washingon with his aunt. Now he lives a simple life as a journalist, but what happens when the one person he wants to avoid most comes back? UKUS-M for language and stuff-
1. Chapter 1: Arthur Kirkland

Found Chpt 1

I AM FINISHING THIS STORY! I WILL FINISH IT WELL TO GODDAMMIT!

Arthur's eyes suddenly snapped open and he flew up into a sitting position, "Alfred!" Looking over at the bed beside him he saw nothing but covers, then he realized that it had been that nightmare again for the 6th time that month. Grumbling as he slipped out of his bed he looked around his apartment, everything was in order and it had been ten years since that night he'd hurt Alfred. It had been ten years since he'd woke before the American, dressed, left, and was never seen again. Moving groggily into his flat's small living room he stared out the large window at the rainy city of Seattle. Sighing as he ran a hand through his hair, he made his way into the kitchen to make himself some tea.

He'd changed so much over the short nine years since he'd left Massachusetts to go to Portland with his Aunt. After he'd done...that...to Alfred, he'd transferred schools and moved in with a friend in Boston. When his aunt had visited a year later he'd persuaded her to let him live with her, that lasted for a year till she got married. Arthur had quickly moved out and fled to Seattle where he cleaned himself up, became a respectable gentleman, and landed a job as a journalist in a magazine.

Pouring the steaming tea into a small teacup he pushed the thoughts of his past out if his head. Arthur had vowed to never think of Alfred again. He'd only caused the American harm and probably an eternity of fear, though he wasn't exactly sure of that. While he was in Boston he heard a few stories about Alfred, looking for him. Arthur had guessed that Al wanted to beat him up or curse him out, but he already felt bad enough for what he'd done and didn't want to see Alfred again.

"Dammit!" he growled, almost spilling his tea as he slammed an angry fist into the countertop. "Stop with him!"

Grumpily drinking his tea while sitting on the small black couch, he began to stare out the window. It had become somewhat of a pass time for him simply staring out the window into the streets. For some reason it was sort of calming to him, releasing stress he didn't know existed. Finally he remembered that there was something he needed to do and quickly got to it. Pulling out his phone he dialed a number, waiting for the person on the other line to pick up.

"Hello, Inquirer Magazine," a small voice asked over the line, "If your calling to talk to Mr. Honda he is on lunch break at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?"

"Ah yes, this is...Mark...correct?" Arthur replied simply.

"My name is M-Matthew, ," the secretary replied quietly over the other side of the call, " asked you to come in today correct? He won't be very happy if you cancel, he said there's something important he needs to discuss with you."

Arthur rolled his eyes slowly at that and sighed, "No, no, not at all. Just wanted to see if we could place it back an hour, I woke late and still need to go get my dry cleaning. Suits seem to be dirt magnets I swear..." Getting up to place the tea-cup in the small dish-washer he clicked it on and let it run, enjoying the small hum that the device admitted.

"He said that would be okay, but highly disappointing," Matthew said after a few moments of silence. It was rather obvious that the bloke's mind was in other places just by his tone of voice. "It seems that whatever he wants to talk to you about is pretty important..."

Arthur nodded even though he knew the Canadian couldn't see him and replied, "Okay, Thank you. I'll be around soon..." Before Matt could reply, Arthur had hung up and was heading back to his room for a shower. It was time to start the day...

Grabbing his suit jacket from the cleaners and a small cup of the vile coffee drink for his boss, he headed towards his work in his small MINI. (And NO MINI's are NOT girly!) Pulling up outside the building, he quickly popped a coin into the parking meter before headed inside. Nodding a hello to Vash, the security gaurd, he made his way upstairs to 's office on the top floor.

"Welcome, !" Matthew rather cheerfully greeted as Arthur walked out of the elevator and into the secretary's office. Pointing his thumb back towards the large iced glass doors behind him he said, "He's taking a quick call right now, just have a seat and wait." Matthew smiled at the British man, making him shift uncomfortably. It wasn't like the Canuck to be so cheerful usually he would be classified as a timid one...not this happy, smiling man.

"Okay, Melvin," he said a little dumbly before making his way to one of the soft cream-colored chairs. Oddly enough, the Canadian didn't correct his teasing this time, yes, teasing. It was a private joke between all the people in the building, always pretending that they'd forgotten the secretary's name. All the further communication with Matthew for his short time in the office was brief and usually caused by an apology from Matthew for going into a giggle fit.

Suddenly though, the doors opened slowly and a short man stood in the open space instead. His white suit seeming to make him taller, as well as making his black hair and already dark eyes seem darker. "Hurro, ," he said calmly, his English obviously not the greatest it could be. "I hope you are werr?"

Arthur nodded with a small smile on his face. Rising from his seat he made his way over his boss, who doubled as quite a good friend, and held out his hand. "Always a pleasure, ," he said, "I'm in quite a good shape, just woke a little late. Yourself, if I may ask?"

Making small talk as they entered the larger office of the shorter man, the friends made it to their seats at the desk. The door, having shut after them, made it a faster process for them to slip into the topic Kiku had in mind. "So, , as you've seemingly been having problems keeping a scheduel outside of work...an example could be your dry cleaning, I've decided to make an offer for you."

Arthur leaned forward in his seat, obviously interested in what his boss had to say. "You mean to say that your offering me a personal secretary?" he asked with a small smile. He kind of liked that idea...it would take a lot of stress off of him and he would be able to work on his reports more. Yes, he liked that idea. "If that's what you mean I don't think I'd mind..."

"Precisely," Kiku said with a small smile, glad that he wouldn't have to explain himself further. "Now I'll leave the names between you two, but I'll let you know that he is Matthew's twin. Also, your going to have to house him for awhile seein as though he will just be getting into Seattle in 2 days. If your not willing to do that much then I'll have to find somewhere else for him to stay, which could be rather bothersome for us both and maybe yourself..."

"That should be fine," Arthur said, leaning back in his chair again to relax a bit more. If the guy was anything like Matthew he'd be fine with him hanging around his flat, which he probably should be seeing as they are twins, right?

"Great, he'll be at your apartment at 7PM on Saturday," Kiku said before breaking into a small conversation with Arthur over the Brit's article for the magazine.


	2. Chapter 2: Breakfast Surprise

**Just to clarify Arthur is in fact 27 and Al is 26 :)**

* * *

Arthur sighed as he looked over the freshly printed pages in front of him with a small scowl. No matter how many times and different ways he tried to write his new book review it just wasn't going his way. His brow twitched slightly in frustration as he crumpled the page in his hands and then threw it into the bin next to his large cherry-wood desk. Swiveling the dark, leather chair around to face his computer again, he simply stared at the fresh Word document before him. "Damn it all! I'm not in the mood for this!" he shot up out of his chair suddenly, almost knocking it over in the process.

Grumpily he made his way out of the small office in his apartment and headed for his bedroom. Maybe after sleeping well he'd be able to write that damn review...but he must be forgetting something. It was Saturday, only around 6:30 right? What did he have to do at this time...? Shrugging slightly he decided to just pass the forgetful thoughts and undress before slipping into bed.

* * *

It hadn't even been an hour before Arthur woke up again. 7:20PM his alarm clock clearly read...on the same day...His once pleasant mood left over from his rare good dream of him and a certain somebody, instantly shattered.

_BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! _

The loud noise pierced his ears as he made his way towards his front door frowning and grumpy like usual when he was awoken early. "What the bloody hell do you want, Twat?!" Arthur yowled as he yanked open the door to his apartment. The person he saw on the other side looked eerily familiar, but he wasn't quite sure in his sleepy and very grumpy state.

Large blue eyes wide and filled with excitement as well as an underlying fear glittered on his face. The man's golden hair was messy though not as messy as the Reporter's own hair, but the queerest thing about the man was his style of dress. Ordinary jeans sat under a much too big My Little Pony tee-shirt, adorning his shoulders was a bright blue hoodie with a line of plush white spikes going down the back. When Arthur was about to slam the door in the strange man's face, he noticed the large backpack sitting at his feet.

"...The secretary...your...?" the European mumbled under his breath causeing the blue-eyed male to nod enthusiastically.

"Alfred F. Jones, sir. It's very nice to meet you," Alfred said, a little too loudly causing pain to spark in Arthur's skull. The secretary's enthusiasm seemed unaffected by the fact that his new boss was dressed in nothing but his boxers or his fowl greeting.

Aside from all that, the name sounded familiar too, but at the moment he wasn't in the mood for thought. Arthur had been a lot more tired than he had first thought and really he just wanted to sleep. Waving the other into the apartment he was admittedly amused when Alfred seemed a little baffled with Arthur's actions, but soon followed him in. "Common bloke, I have a room set up for you," the lighter blonde man explained, opening a bedroom door next to his own. "If you need anything I'll be my bed just across from here...Only if it's urgent though," Arthur grumbled pointing back at his own door.

Alfred nodded, answering with a simple and out of character 'yes sir'. Usually he would be a bit more upbeat and willing to talk, but he was rather spent from his long flight at the moment.

"Good," Arthur sighed, beginning to leave the room before he turned back to the American. "It's Arthur by the way. If you must, you can call me ..."

Getting another nod from the odd American he simply turned and left to go back to his own warm bed without a second glance at Al.

In the room just across the hall Alfred will still standing in the same place with a small, knowing smile on his face. "I know exactly who you are Arthur," he whispered, a small affectionate purr in his voice.

* * *

Arthur walked cautiously down the small hallway in his apartment. He'd just woken up and he'd smelt something very odd, it smelt like eggs and bacon in the house. He didn't live with anyone, so he guessed that somebody broke in...and cooked breakfast...yeah. Armed with only a lamp from his office he walked into the living room and peered over the small bar.

A woman was standing in front of the stove, egg shells sitting of to the side and a pack of bacon sitting open on the counter. She seemed to be humming some type of tune, God Save the Queen? Setting the lamp down on the floor, he approached the blue-hooded lady getting her attention by clearing his throat.

When she turned around though Arthur was surprised to find that she was actually well...a he. "Er...w-well...What do...you think your doing in my house?" Arthur opted to say. He was going to say something a bit more gentlemanly to the lady...but uh...this wasn't...a lady.

The blue-eyed man raised a brow before he pulled back his hoodie revealing the large studio headphones he had on. Pulling them off he gave the man a questioning look, "What did you say ?"

Arthur, now sort of confused, looked over the golden haired boy before it suddenly hit him again. Rather embarrassed he turned around and retreated to go sit at the bar, "N-nothing...Alfred..." He got nothing but a quiet laugh in reply before Al went back to cooking. This time he was cooking with his headphones off of course, though he seemed to continue his little tune.

...Alfred...Alfred...Arthur's head snapped upwards, looking at the American closely. Suddenly he saw another person standing next to the peculiar secretary, his Alfred, the one from all those years ago. They looked almost exactly the same, but that couldn't be. No, this person couldn't be him that would just be impossible.

Slumping down in the stool he was sitting on, he simply stayed quiet and listened to Alfred hum as he cooked. Arthur was desperately trying to wash those thoughts from his head. This wasn't his Alfred...his Alfred was in Boston, many, many miles away.

* * *

**1st- Al is kind of a Brony because I see America(the character) as kinda a silly/childish type of guy that would like MLP and cartoons :) **

**2nd- He isn't humming 'God Save the Queen' Al was humming 'My Country Tis of Thee' **

**Okay so sorry if the realization feels a little rushed or like its come to early...I promise this is going to be a whole lot longer!**


	3. Chapter 3: Him?

**Godddddd, this took forever! I had a big streak with my newest story (Caged Bird) so I was busy with that...Also Oak Bay High-school is Alfred and Arthur's old school. The moar you know**.

* * *

Alfred happily sat in his new room, the walls luckily were painted a light blue color which helped lighten it up. The furniture was dark though like much of the other furniture in the house. It seemed that his boss had a bit of an obsession with cherry wood and dark colors. Smoothing out the light blue comforter he'd brought with him he smiled. It kind of fit Arthur in a way, the dark colors probably reminded him of his punk days. Sighing, his blue eyes drifted up to the window. It had been sunny for awhile though the rain clouds had quickly moved in on the large city in the late hours, now the raindrops fell against the glass hastily.

It reminded Alfred of that night when Arthur had...done those things to him. It had been pouring that night, though if he remembered correctly Arthur had been completely dry. Suddenly there was a loud sound outside, a clap of thunder that disturbed his thoughts and instead sent him into a panic. Alfred had never been a fan of storms, in fact storms usually shook him up really bad. Hastily Alfred walked over to the window and pulled the curtains closed though he could still hear the thunder outside. Therefore, he decided to wander into the kitchen for a bit of comfort food.

Grabbing ahold of a few ingredients he began to work them into a nice batch of cookies. Suddenly though, he felt eyes on him. Turning around he almost fell over as he came face to face with Arthur. "Ah, ," he exclaimed, "i-is something wrong?"

"Hm, oh it's...it's nothing..." the green eyed man muttered stepping back away from the secretary. "I was just wondering what you were making..."

Alfred sighed in relief and turned to get back to work on his cookies, "They're just cookies...cooking usually helps calm me during storms." It was actually a true fact that he enjoyed cooking, he'd even gone to a culinary school after high-school. That had helped him land this job to! Kiku had been concerned Arthur's food wasn't exactly...healthy for him, so he was happy to hear Alfred could cook while hiring him.

"Oh, that's interesting. I take it that you don't like storms then?" Arthur asked curiously.

"Yeah," he muttered moving to put them in the oven. Then Alfred got an idea, maybe now would be a good time to learn a bit about his boss. "Hey, what's your favorite color?" the American asked thinking it was a simple enough question to start with.

Arthur raised a brow at the younger man's question, but then he decided to answer, "I've never really thought about it, I guess...green is nice."

He noticed the American smile at his answer before he said, "Hm, mines blue...What about your middle name?"

Arthur sighed, "Is this some weird attempt at getting to know me?" He wasn't one to talk about himself much, but that was most likely because nobody ever asked about him. He didn't mind talking about himself though, so upon getting a hesitant nod he began to speak again, "Okay, if you must know, my name is Arthur Erin Kirkland. I'm from Manchester and moved to Boston when I was 17. I then moved to Portland, finally I ended up here in Seattle."

He left out the part about him being a punk and everything that had happened with Alfred on purpose of course. He still had his suspicions about this peculiar man...

"My name is Alfred Franklin Jones and I'm from Boston too...well a small town outside of Boston, but still its relatively close," the secretary said as he leaned up against the counter beside the stove. Alfred didn't miss how Arthur shifted uncomfortably when he talked about his life. Hiding an amused smirk he continued to speak, "I went to a culinary school after I got out of high-school. Recently I got fired from my job at this really shitty 'diner' and luckily my brother, Matthew, led me to this job." Sure the American had said a lot more than he needed to, but it was totally worth the face Arthur was making at that moment.

Arthur hastily stopped his gaping when Alfred stopped speaking and cleared his throat. "W-well, that would explain why your such a good cook," Arthur said shakily, referring to the breakfast he'd been served earlier in the day. "Now if you don't mind I'm just...going to go back to my study. Don't disturb me unless it's...important."

Watching Arthur walk off in the stiff way that he did was more hilarious than Alfred could ever imagine, though he just managed to keep his laughter in till the man was in his office. Then he covered his mouth and laughed into it till his lungs hurt. Damn this would be more fun than any game he'd ever played before, including COD.

* * *

"Kiku? Ah yes I'm fine...yes, he is here," Arthur whispered into the phone. At the moment the Brit was sitting at his desk with his head rested on the smooth wood, speaking hurriedly into his cellphone. He was in a rather panicked state after hearing Alfred's backstory. Shakily he said, "Yeah, I-I have a question about him..."

"Hai, what would that be?" Kiku said with a bit of worry in his own voice. He was mostly worried that Arthur wasn't pleased with his new subordinate, it would be a sad thing if the bright American ended up jobless again.

"Well, what...h-highschool did he go to?" Arthur muttered, feeling himself start shaking with both anticipation and fear. He would be a little on edge if he turned out to be his Alfred, but he guessed it would be okay. He'd just have to hope that he didn't realize who he was...

"Um, I believe he went to Oak Bay High-school," Kiku said a bit confused with the man's odd question. Suddenly though, he heard the tell tale beeps signaling that Arthur had hung up. With a confused look he set his phone back on his desk and looked over at Matthew who had a small smile on his face. "What was that about?" the black haired man asked.

"I'm sure it was nothing," Matthew chuckled from behind his hand.

* * *

Arthur groaned, pulling his arms around his head to hide himself from the world. "Bloody hell," something told him this was going to be a long year with his Alfred F. Jones.


	4. Hey over here! (Not an update)

tumblr blog/coffeeisbetterthantea

This is a blog. I will be posting shit about my stories here...(Aka: letting you know when I've come across writers-block, when a story is in editing, when a new chapter is underway.) This way I don't have to post unrelated shit on my stories.

Thanks, Flighty.

(add . c o m after Tumblr and a / after that.)


	5. Chapter 4: Coffee,Work,Party, all good

**I have really been neglecting this story, but I'm going to try and work harder to get a schedule working. I want to try a new technique I learned about where you write like 5 chapters, then every week you post one. This gives you 5 weeks to write 5 more chapters (and so on and so forth!) Wahoo! I wanna try it, though it may take me awhile to type out 5 chapters...(Also I'm trying to make them longer, around 2,000-3,000 words a chapter...)**

* * *

With a groan Arthur woke up, his head dully hurting and his back aching. What a wonderful way to wake up on a Monday, he thought. Slowly rising from his bed Arthur made his way over to his dresser though suddenly, the door flew open. In the doorway stood a cheery looking Alfred, wearing a large grin, deep blue penny-coat, and jeans. A Starbucks coffee cup sat in his hand and a suit was draped over his arm. "Mourning dude, are you looking for this?" he chortled, holding up his arm so the suit was clearly visible.

Groaning a bit in irritation, Arthur made his way over to take hold of the suit, "Bloody hell Alfred…You'd think after us living together for the last three weeks you'd have learned by now." Getting a blank stare in reply the Briton pulled a hand up to cover his eyes. With the pain he was in he really didn't want to deal with this. Alfred was always so disorganized, it was almost annoying…no, it was annoying. "First, you're supposed to knock. Second off, you're defiantly not going to work with me dressed like that. Lastly, I don't drink that putrid poison," he explained for the seemingly millionth time as he motioned towards the Starbucks in Alfred's hand.

Alfred rolled his eyes at Arthur and muttered as he held up the cup of coffee, "Take the stick out of your ass, old man…You've never even tried it have you?"

"Shut your gob, you bastard! I'm only a year older than you!" Arthur yowled angrily at the laughing American.

With a small smile the American avoided Arthur as he tried to grab his suit. With another playful chuckle, he grinned at him waving the suit around, "Maybe if you try the coffee…I'll let you have this."

Frowning, the Brit stalked towards the blue-eyed male who'd made his way over to the other side of the bed. "No, I think you can hand it over right now if you know what the best for your career is," he growled and held out his hand for the suit. The American, of course, ignored him and instead held out the coffee.

"Go ahead," Alfred said cockily, earning a glare from Arthur as he grabbed the coffee cup from Alfred. This had become a sort of tradition for them. Alfred would come in every morning and demand something silly from the older man, whether it was trying coffee or playing some stupid game like Fruit-Ninja. It was rather ridiculous in Arthur's opinion, but it seemed to keep Alfred entertained and out of the Briton's hair, so he went along with it…morning after morning after morning…

Muttering something about poison, Arthur sniffed at the drink. It smelt purely foul and disgusting. He was thinking about not drinking it, but one look at Alfred's challenging face changed his mind and he quickly downed a large gulp of the bitter drink. He almost choked as he swallowed it down; damn, coffee was terrible though the grin on Alfred's face made it worth it. He'd never admit it…but…Alfred's smile always made him feel overly happy. "I…I'll be taking my suit now and…I expect tea on the table when I'm done getting dressed. I believe you know how to make it by now, correct?" Arthur asked after the taste was almost gone from his mouth.

Alfred pouted at him for a moment before he did something Arthur didn't expect at all; something that made him blush from his ears to his neck and managed to make him lose his breath. The golden haired man had leaned forward, kissing the older man on the cheek before he dropped the suit on the bed. "Well, I guess I'll go do that now. Have fun Artie!" Alfred said, still wearing that stupid grin as Arthur sat there gaping at him. Reaching a hand up, he pushed his jaw closed and left the room.

"W-what…" Arthur muttered, slowly coming out of his dazed condition. Alfred had kissed him. /Alfred /had kissed him.

* * *

Coming out of his room and into the living-room, he saw Alfred sitting down on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table. A steaming cup of tea was set on the edge of the table, though Alfred still hadn't changed his clothing. "Naw, common Spike…Don't be so mean to Twilight, she's trying her best to make that nest!" Alfred said suddenly. Arthur shifted uncomfortably a little jumpy around the American at the moment after that. "Oh, hey there, your tea is on the table," Alfred muttered as he pointed to the teacup.

Arthur nodded saying quietly, "Thank you, I…uh…what are you watching?"

Looking up at him with a surprised face, he looked almost exactly like Arthur had earlier in his room: jaw hung open and brows raised in what was almost horror. "What! You mean to tell me that you've never heard of My Little Pony? Friendship is Magic? Dude, how long have we been living together?!" Alfred exclaimed, causing Arthur to wince in pain from his still prominent headache.

"No, I have not. Now, would you please lower your voice and turn that show off? I have a splitting headache, you need to get dressed properly, and we need to head off to work ASAP," Arthur said assertively. He was never going to get into the editorial department if he was always late, though it seemed that lately he was later than usual thanks to Alfred. Upon seeing Alfred start pouting, he quickly looked away not wanting to let Alfred get his way again. "Come on now, Alfred," he coaxed as he looked out the large window of the apartment, "we can't be late again."

With a loud groan, like an irritated teenager, Alfred got up and stomped off towards his room. "I'll be out in a moment," he grumbled as he passed the Briton who suddenly felt like a parent…

* * *

As they entered the work building together, Alfred dressed in a dress-shirt and some borrowed dress-pants; Arthur on the other hand was in a full, tan suit complete with a tie and dress-shoes. Jack, the security guard, grinned at them as they walked in and quickly let them into the main office area. "Okay Alfred," Arthur muttered, "we need to go and drop this report off with my editor, then we need to go and talk to Elizabeta…She said they we're planning a work party or something that I have to go to…quoting her of course…" In all truth the green-eyed man despised parties of any sort, always so loud with way too many people for his liking.

Alfred seemed overly excited about the prospect of a party, looking even more unnaturally happy as usual. "Really? A party!? Oh, my god it's been so long since I've been to one...please tell me I'm invited too?" he asked, linking his fingers together and looking at Arthur with those large, overly blue, puppy-dog eyes.

Then with a sigh, he nodded, "Yes, I guess we could talk to her about it. You are my secretary anyways, therefore your apart of this workplace...so you should be okay to come along." Those blue eyes seemed to sparkle with mirth making Arthur's heart flutter and for a moment he thought the American's eyes looked absolutely beautiful...Wait, did he really just think that?! Mentally kicking himself, he tucked the papers he needed to turn in into his bag and began to lead Alfred towards his editor's department. "Come along now, A-Alfred..." Arthur muttered.

The smirk momentarily on Alfred's face did not go unnoticed.

* * *

"Yes, yes, thanks again Tino," Arthur said with a light smile towards his Finnish editor who grinned timidly back at him.

With a small laugh in his voice Tino replied, "Well, it is my job and I hope to see you join the editorial team soon. Who knows, I heard a spot is opening up soon...seems Toris will be leaving quickly. He said something about going to Poland to live with his boyfriend or something..."

The Brit raised a large brow at the new information, "Tori's is gay? I mean...I always kind of expected, though I never actually thought..." Usually the man wasn't one for gossip or other things such as, but when it came to the editorial department he was all for it. One day he just hoped he'd catch something like this! Now he'd need to talk to Kiku about maybe getting the spot on the much more interesting team that he was sure to hit it off with.

"Yeah, well...I'm going to have to be off now. I'll get this all fixed up and fax it to you later, Mr. Kirkland!" Tino waved as he turned to walk off.

"Okay, tell the husband and Peter that I said hello!" Arthur called after him. It was a well known fact that Tino was married to the owner of a very nice furniture shop in the middle of the city. His name was Berwald if Arthur was correct and they had an adopted son named Peter. It was also a well known fact, amongst workers and others outside the company, that a lot of the people at the company were gay. Speaking of gays, he now turned to his secretary who had somehow stayed silent through the entire conversation till now.

"Well, he seemed like a cool guy," the American said, "I think I'm going to like hanging out with him sometime."

The Briton nodded, still feeling a bit uncomfortable around Al as they headed off to find Elizabeta in the photography room. "Elizabeta?" Arthur called when he pushed open the door to the room and from amongst a pile of papers came the voice of a woman.

"Arthur? Is that you?" she asked, as she emerged into view. A bright sundress was all she wore aside from the flower in her hair, her feet seemed bare though Arthur couldn't tell with all the papers on the floor. Clapping her hands together, the woman grinned at him. "Oh! Great, now listen up! The party will be on Friday okay? All you have to do is show up here for it, make sure to dress nicely! It starts at 8:00PM, don't be late!" she explained almost too quickly.

Arthur looked over her with a skeptical expression before he bluntly asked, "This isn't another one of your schemes to match me up with somebody, is it?"

The woman seemed to feign hurt for a moment as she dramatically said, "Oh no, not at all! How could you think that I would dare make such an obvious scheme? I'm much to smart to do that!"

The Briton rolled his eyes before he noticed Alfred fidgeting beside him. "Ah yes, I was also wondering if Alfred could maybe come with me? He says he hasn't been to a party in awhile, I think it would be good for the lad to er out some energy with a party..." Arthur asked the question hopefully. As endearing as the man's energy could be sometimes, it also could get annoying very, very quickly.

Upon getting a nod, Alfred pumped a fist in the air yelling a loud, "Yes! Thanks so much dude and dudette!"

Arthur stared at Al for a moment, not a glare, but just a blank-like stare. "Alfred, do calm down and don't make a fool of yourself, dear," he said, looking only slightly annoyed with Alfred. Elivabeta seemed to notice the odd tension in the air that she guessed the two men were missing entirely because...well...men are men. They don't pay attention the things like Elizazeta did, the feeling of sexual tension. Seriously, it was hanging around the two like...well...it was really bad...we'll just say that.

* * *

**Next chapter may or may not be about the party. It depends on what you guys want...do you want to go straight to the party where something interesting happens or just hanging around the apartment with the two again...? Your choice. I rather go straight to the party! **


	6. Chapter 5: Rage and Hurt

Alfred laughed loudly as he played with his Iphone. Arthur was busy in his office writing another one of his article things that Alfred didn't really care for. So, in order to keep himself busy, and not resort to his favorite game of 'annoy the brit', he'd downloaded a new app. It was a fun game that had to do with one of his favorite characters: Nyan Cat!

It seemed to be working well seeing as he'd been playing it for the past two hours. He was sure Arthur had told him go do something earlier, but oh well, he couldn't remember.

The loud sound of a throat being cleared knocked off his concentration and with a loud curse he ended up with a 'game over' screen. "What the hell, dude!" he exclaimed as he set an angry gaze on Arthur. His face though, seemed a little less angry, more of a pout if you had to ask the Brit standing in room now. With a roll of his eyes Arthur walked over to the other man, an irritated scowl on his own face.

"Didn't I tell you to start making dinner? We have guests coming over on /your/ behalf, Alfred," the irritated reporter complained, making Alfred roll his own blue-eyes. It seemed it was going to be another one of their days when their only intrests were to annoy one another. Unlike in most households, Arthur and Alfred's days seemed to go one of two ways: happy and silly or agrivating and irritating. Alfred didn't really mind though because he'd usually win all their arguments on the agrivating days! Then on the good, happy days, he usually wouldn't have any problems getting his way on things. Just how he liked it.

"Hey, I'm not your slave, asshole!" Alfred said angrily. "Since I came here, I havnt seen /you/ lift a /single damn finger/. I've been doing all the cooking and cleaning lately," the American raged at his boss like an angry wife. Really, the dude could act like a tyrant at times and then be a total saint the next! Alfred sometimes had to wonder if Arthur had a multi-personality disorder or was bi-polar. It would make sence seeing as the dude seemed crazy, talking to himsel all the time and such.

"Oh please! I do not treat you /anything/ like a slave! If I did, you wouldn't be getting payed and I probably would have taken a whip to you by now!" Arthur retorted.

Alfred's eyes widened for a moment before a devious glint set in his eyes. With a small mirthless laugh Al said, "Wow Mr.K, what a surprise! I didn't know you liked /that/ kind of /stuff/." This seemed to make Arthur more irrated than before, and with a loud growl Arthur turned to stalk back to his office. Something stopped him though. Turning around, he put on a mischievous smirk and set his green gaze on the American's eyes.

"Oh dear, looks like I've been found out! I may just have to beat you till you forget," Arthur said dangerously as he popped his knuckles. If there was one thing he'd learned from his punk days, it was how to intimidate people effectively and it still seemed to work. Upon hearing Arthur's threat, the American jumped up from his seat with wide eyes.

"Oh hey! Look at the time! Maybe I should get to work on dinner, anything specific that you'd like Mr.K?" he rambled, his voice sounding a bit higher.

Arthur was tempted to continue his little act in order to really mess with Alfred, though he decided to hold back. Instead he gave the younger man a rare, warm smile and said cheerfully, "Some bangers and mash would be lovely if you wouldn't mind, princess. Also, do tell me when the guests arrive..." He was totally oblivious to the nickname he'd used for the American who was now blushing fiercely at him. "What? Did I say something?" he asked, rather puzzled.

The blue-eyed male looked away from him for a moment in awkward silence, "Well, you uh...called me...'Princess'."

"O-oh did I?" Arthur asked, with a bright blush now on his own cheeks and getting a nod in reply he sighed. "Sorry, only a habit from a...ah...girlfriend I had back in highschool..."

The American looked at him in what seemed like a sad way for a moment before he turned to walk off towards the kitchen. "Well," he said, "I guess I'll be getting to work on dinner. If you want tea then you should make it yourself, we've established the fact that I'm pretty bad at it." Arthur sighed as he followed Al towards the kitchen, bent on making himself that cup of tea. His headaches seemed to be more frequent lately and usually his tea was he easiest way to get rid of it, so he was going with that for now.

"Alfred, how has your day been? It's been awhile since we've actually talked," Arthur attempted to make conversation. It really had been awhile since they'd talked, mostly due to the fact that Arthur had been busy working.

"Hm, oh...I guess it's been okay. A little boring though I found this fun app to keep me busy," Alfred said, happy the awkward silence that had been around them was vanishing.

"I've noticed. Hopefully I didn't mess you up too much," Arthur muttered as he pulled out the tea leaves from the cupboard. He wondered for a moment when their guests would arrive and if he'd have time to shower. It would be embarrassing if they showed and Arthur didn't look proper. "When do the guests arrive, Alfred? I would like to shower and such before they get here..." he asked in his curiosity.

Al looked over at him for a moment in disbelief before he began to chuckled and grin at Arthur, "Dude, it's just my brother and his boyfriend, you don't have to do anything..."

Arthur only scoffed at the younger man, "Alfred, just because they're your family doesn't mean you shouldn't be proper around them." The Brit poured the water into his teacup and placed the bag into the cup. He ignored the American's disgusted glance towards the drink sitting on the counter. Suddenly the American seemed to perk up as the door-bell chimed.

"Oh! That must be them!" he said, his grin getting wider if it was even possible. His blue eyes gleamed brightly as he turned from the pot on the stove to go open the door. Arthur stepped in his way though. "What? I need to go answer the door," he said, pouting a bit at the green-eyed man who simply looked away from him.

"You need to finish cooking," he said, "I will get the door."

Alfred groaned before he turned back to his job, "I don't know why I can't...it'd only take me a second..."

Arthur opened the door quickly, without peering through the peep-hole first. To his surprise instead of seeing two people he saw three, brown hair, blonde hair, and red hair. "Alistor...what a...pleasant surprise," he muttered as they all filed into the house. Arthur taking a moment to glare at the man, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I heard your girlfriend came back, just thought I should come say hi. Make sure he's fully aware of the...situation," the scot said. Arthur desperately wanted to punch that smirk off of his older brother's face, but he held back. As he led everyone into the living-room he noticed Alfred standing a little awkwardly in the kitchen. The blush on his face didn't go unnoticed. "Damn," he grumbled, he'd hoped Al hadn't heard his brother's stupid rambles.

Matthew, following his gaze, suddenly smiled brightly and tugged the Brunette towards the kitchen. "Common Jack! It's about time you met Al!" the Canadian chirped, it seemed so out of character for him. Arthur and Alistor were totally oblivious though as they glared at each other, one angry and the other challenging.

* * *

"So Al, how's work been lately? Hope here isn't being too hard on you..." Matt chatted happily with Al.

Jack jumped in quickly, "Ah, Im sure Al here can handle it, mate!"

Al seemed to be out of the conversation for once though as he stared over towards the two british brothers. Usually he was very bad at reading moods, so if he could you knew it was a bad sign. The two brothers seemed to radiate a mixture of hate, irritation, and a bit of fear was also mixed in the toxic drink. "Yeah," he muttered in reply to his brother not really interested as he said, "uh, hey...Alistor, why don't you tell us something about yourself?"

The glare Arthur shot Alistor did not go unnoticed, "Well, Im this one's oldest brother and I come from Scotland. It'll be nice to have an addition to our family soon..." After the last sentance left the Scot's lips, there was a sharp banging noise under the table and Alistor hissed in pain. There was an air of complete rage flying off Arthur now, that was clear enough to the entire group. Jack and Matthew shifted uncomfortably in their chairs while Al seemed to get a bit curious with the situation. Opening his mouth to speak again, Al suddenly noticed Arthur glaring at him now as well.

"Is there a marriage going on soon?" Al asked despite the emeralds burning into him.

Alistor grinned at him in a slightly smug way, "I guess you could say that..."

The American seemed a little puzzled by the answer, but before he could ask anything more Arthur suddenly rose from the table. "Alistor, if you wouldn't mind..." he said, motioning towards the short hall which led to the rooms and his office. As they left everyone at the table fell into silence, each afraid to speak.

"So, uh...could somebody pass the potatoes?" Jack suddenly asked making Matt go into a chuckling fit. Alfred on the other hand, even when the conversation started again, was worried.

* * *

"Alistor I told you to /never/ speak of /her/!" Arthur yowled in obvious rage almost as soon as the door was closed. The red-haired man just smirked at him and sat down in one of the chairs placed in the room. Arthur remained standing though, "I told you, I /will not/ be marrying Roseanne just because you don't want to take over the company! It is rightfully yours, take responsibility and marry Marie if your so worried about it!"

"Why not? You loved her when you were younger, best little couple I've seen!" Alistor said, a little calmer than Arthur. "You know that da' wants you and her to take over the company, not me and Marie."

"But I do not love her anymore!" Arthur hissed at Alistor, but the man still stuck strong to his cause, "I /never/ loved her!"

With a deep frown, though still staying calm, Alistor said, "If you love that lad still, give it up Arthur. Your only going to end up hurting him again, or worse...he'll hurt you, he's not worth the space he takes up."

"Get out!" Arthur yelled at the top of his lungs, sure that there would be complaints from his neighbors in the morning, "I will not tolerate you saying any such this about my Alfred! He is worth more than fifty of you, Alistor!"

The elder's eyes widened significantly as his brother yelled at him, something he hadn't heard for years. It wasn't hard to make out the hot tears in Arthur's eyes as he stood to leave knowing he'd overstayed his welcome. Even if the two didn't get along, it wasn't on Alistor's top priorities to get Arthur sent to jail for getting in a fight. "You have another month then," he said,"it could be that boy, or even some random girl. I don't care, but this is your responsibility Arthur. It's time that /you/ faced it."

Arthur waited for Alistor to leave the room before slammed his fist into the vase next to the door. This was not what he wanted, how dare that bastard call /his/ Alfred such a horrible thing! How dare Alistor tell him that it was /his/ responsibility to take over his father's company! /How dare he, himself, call Alfred "his"?/

* * *

Alfred sighed as he looked over the bandages he's wrapped around Arthur's hand. Really he wondered what the two had talked about, when he'd gone into the office after everyone had left Arthur had torn it apart. Arthur himself seemed no better with bleeding knuckles, and glass stuck in his hand. "I wish you'd tell me what's wrong," he said, as he started to walk out of the bathroom and into Arthur's room where he sat down on the bed. Arthur followed behind him looking a mixture of pissed and confused in a manner.

"I-Its nothing," he muttered, going to lie down on the bed. His back was turned to the American so that he couldn't see his eyes. He didn't want Alfred to know how he felt. It was true, he'd only hurt Alfred of they were to fall in love again, but he knew deep down he still wanted that. It had become apparent to him during his rampage in his office. He still loved Alfred.

"Fine," he muttered, "I'll be in to wake you up tomorrow, we have that party to go to."

Arthur grunted in reply, already he could tell he wouldn't sleep well tonight.

"Sleep well, Arthur," the American muttered as he left the room. His face twisted in worry for his friend not noticing how Arthur pulled a hand up to grab at his aching chest. He also didn't notice the small tears falling down Arthur's cheeks as he closed the door. Leaving the man alone in the dark...

* * *

**I don't even know...I only got one review telling me they wanted more plot setting. I thought this may work...**


	7. Chapter 6: I'll save you with hurt

**So...this chapter is kinda sad and short...the next chapter will be longer and maybe posted tonight...maybe. **

**If you want a good song for this chapter- I Don't Wanna Be In Love-Good Charlotte**

* * *

_Roseanne, his lifelong friend stood next to him, white gown making her blue eyes and ginger hair stand out even more than usual. Even at the sight of the beautiful woman smiling at him, Arthur could feel himself becoming sick as he looked over at the crowd. There sitting at the front were two men, Liam and Alfred, tears in both their eyes and though he wanted to believe they were of joy, he knew different. Then looking to the seats next to the tearful men, there was his grinning father with an arm slung around Alistor and his French lover, Marie. Though the oddest thing he could see were two horses, one tied up on his father's side and another standing free on Alfred's. _

_ Looking back to Roseanne he could see her looking at Liam in a saddened manner, not seeming to see the horses like Arthur was. Looking back to him as the priest asked that one simple question she said, "I do." The Brit couldn't get the feeling of dread in his stomach to flee as he looked at that tied horse; it only got worse as he repeated her words and suddenly he was that horse. Tied to the wooded pole he thrashed and tried to pull away as his brother smirked at him, walking away smugly with his wife. He left Roseanne to stare at Arthur with a hidden sadness in her eyes._

_ Then Alfred was there, staring as Roseanne pet Arthur. His eyes we're dim, tearful…and then they shattered like glass out of their sockets as Alfred fell to the ground in a sobbing mess. Arthur could only stare at the American before he was swallowed by a pit of quicksand. _

**~O~**

It was early in the morning, only 4AM, when the door to Arthur's office opened. In the doorway stood Alfred with his brow creased in worry as he looked over the ruffled man at the desk. The Brit's hair was more messy than usual, his clothes seemed to be thrown on, and Alfred could just make out his eyes. They were dark and dim lased with confusion and an underlying rage, it seemed. The raging rainstorm outside would probably reflect how the man was feeling.

With a sigh the American came over, sitting on top of the desk much to Arthur's irritation. "Okay, tell me what's wrong. If you're up this early and looking this bad you can't deny something is wrong! Now, spit it out!" Al's voice was strong, demanding. He knew how to deal with people when they didn't want to talk about something, a skill learned from time with his brother as a child.

The Brit only grumbled, turning his chair away so that his back was to the American man sitting on top of his desk. He didn't want to talk about anything; he didn't want to see Alfred or Roseanne for that matter. When Alfred came around to stand in front of him Arthur glared at him, "What?"

"I told you to tell me what's wrong, Arthur! I don't want to see you this way!" the crack in the younger man's voice was enough to tell Arthur that he was almost crying and it broke his heart.

Not wanting to look up and see what could be a remake of his dream, Arthur kept his gaze focused on his own lap. "I don't want to talk about it, I just had a bad dream thats all," he muttered, his voice sounded shaky and weak giving him away instantly.

_"Arthur, please," _With those words the American placed his hands on either side of Arthur's face and made Arthur look at him. Their eyes met for a second that seemed like hours just as they had years before. Arthur felt himself wanting desperately to move forward, longing to capture the American's quivering lips. He wanted to tell Alfred everything, how he was sorry for everything, how he wanted Alfred to be his. As he leaned forward to do exactly that he suddenly remembered his promise to himself, to Alfred and pulled away from him. You can't hurt him again like this. You _can't._

"J-Just go Alfred," he said sadly and when Alfred didn't go, he did what he thought was best. He raised his voice, he'd have to be cruel this once to save the one he loved.

"I don't love you anymore, I might've at one time but it's not here anymore," he looked up at Alfred, seeing the surprise in his eyes at the sudden confession. With a scowl Arthur continued, "I-I'm getting married soon, and I want you to know…that…if you still love me, forget it. I don't love you."

Watching Alfred's eyes fill with tears like that almost caused Arthur to break down and apologize, but he quickly looked away from the man. He could feel the familiar pangs of pain in his chest, the foul taste of a lie that he would regret filled in his mouth as he watched Alfred nod slowly. His next words only seemed to make it worse, "I-I…think I'll excuse myself now…sir."

_Sir_, the word rang in Arthur's head as Alfred fled from the room hastily. Finally, when the door closed Arthur allowed the tears to fall down his face. The pain was almost too much for him. He felt like he'd ripped out his own heart, thrown it to the ground, and set it on fire. Arthur had to reassure himself though; this was for the best…Alfred would be happier without him. Turning to his computer when his tears subsided he began typing in an email that made his heart clench painfully.

_Dear Roseanne, _

_ It's been awhile now, but I have a question to ask you. Please come to the dance with me at 8:00 tonight, my work place. I look forward to seeing you soon._

_ Sincerely, AEK_

Leaving his office he stopped outside Alfred's room for a moment listening to the rustling from within and wondered what he was doing. Before he could say anything though, he pushed himself to walk away from the door. This was best for Alfred, he was sure of it, he had to be. Without a single word Arthur left the house needing to go to the jewelry store to find the single thing that would keep Alfred from getting hurt. Even as Arthur bought the ring he had to remind him of the fact it was for the best.

**~O~**

A day later at the dance, he felt the regret about to burst from him when he heard something that made his heart lurch to a stop. Roseanne was standing alongside Alfred grin wide as they talked with each other.

"Oh really, you're getting a job as chef? How exciting that must be!" she said.

Alfred replied cheerfully, "Yeah, they even promised me a room upstairs…"

The American's voice trailed off as he noticed Arthur approaching them, reaching a hand out to take Roseanne's. "You look wonderful as usual Roseanne," Arthur said, putting on the best fake smile he could as he bent to kiss her knuckles. He noticed the look that Alfred gave him, one that showed nothing but sadness making Arthur gulp. It was going to take a bit of energy but he'd have to stay strong tonight. Grabbing onto Roseanne's other hand he began to pull her off towards the dance-floor, "Sorry Alfred, but I'm just going to steal her for a while."

Alfred nodded, smiling at Arthur in a way that could only have been faked, "No problem, sir."

**~O~**

It was painful Arthur would have to admit as he danced with the smiling Roseanne, watching Alfred smile so brightly while dancing with another man. Dipping his soon-to-be wife, he watched as the man Alfred was dancing with spun him making Alfred laugh, sickening. Taking to a faster-paced dance with Roseanne he tried to take his mind away from them, it was good Alfred was getting along with another person. Maybe they'd start dating, Alfred would be happy then and he'd be safe from ever being hurt by Arthur! Perfect plan, he thought as he spun Roseanne who had seemed very distant all night.

"Roseanne, love, are you okay?" he asked, actually feeling a bit concerned as he led the woman off the dance floor. The woman just shook her head, flashing that smile at Arthur once more. He could tell it was another false smile from the way her eyes flashed with pain for a moment. With a sigh he swallowed down the urge to back-out of this hole he was walking into. "Well then, if you wouldn't mind I…uh…have something to ask you," Arthur said, ignoring the pain in his heart.

Roseanne stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before she nodded and fell to her knees so she could wrap her arms around the Brit. He could feel the tears seeping into the fabric of his suit and something told him they weren't of happiness. When he looked up at the crowd that had formed around them he felt his own tears forming, Alfred was crying. He could see the tears rolling down Al's face plainly and he felt like he had been burned, it must have been worse for Alfred though. Their eyes met for a moment, and then Alfred turned, disappeared from Arthur's sight.

He wondered if this was how Alfred had felt ten years ago.

* * *

**I'm skipping to a month later in the story next chapter...**


	8. Chapter 7: Three Months

**This is a nice chapter to right after the last one seeing as it was kind of depressing...**

* * *

Three months later, Al was sitting happily in the diner he worked at as a chef, his head stuffed in a book he'd been given by a friend. Recently he'd moved back to Boston where he found that it was a lot more comfortable. Not so crowded like Seattle, and lacking a certain person he hoped never to meet again.

As he flipped the page he heard the bell ding, and raised his head to see somebody that made his heart lurch to a stop for a moment. It was Arthur, somebody he hadn't seen in a month and really didn't want to see. Only a week earlier he'd received a wedding invitation from the man which in Alfred's opinion, would have been torture. "Alfred!" he called as the American got up and rushed into the kitchen. From out in the main room he could hear Arthur trying to convince Lili to let him into the kitchen so they could talk and soon the door opened.

Alfred quickly ducked behind the counter, small tears already forming in his eyes as he heard Arthur call his name quietly. "W-What do you want? Why the hell are you here?!" Alfred asked, peering over the counter at the man who surprisingly looked terrible. Scowling at the worry he was tempted to show, Al tried his best to glare at Arthur.

"Sleep mostly, but I'm here to get you back," Arthur said after a moment of silence.

Alfred looked at the man in a confused manner before he snorted and turned away from Arthur, "Why would you need me, huh? You have a wife now, go talk to her if you want company! Now, if you're not going to buy anything please leave, sir."

He heard Arthur sigh in annoyance before he felt arms wrap around his waist, "Alfred, I don't even remember how many nights I haven't slept this month…I didn't even go through with my wedding…because…"

"Because what?!" Alfred yelled as he pulled away from Arthur, pointing the spatula he had picked up at Arthur dangerously. "You want to mess with me again? Make me think that maybe, just maybe, you actually love me and then rip my heart out again?! Twice, it's happened twice now Arthur! Don't…don't think I'll fall for it again!"

The Brit's green-eyes widened for a moment before he slowly nodded, hanging his head with a loud sigh. "I thought you'd say something like that, but if it means anything to you," Arthur turned and began to walk out of the kitchen, leaving an envelope and a familiar piece of fabric behind. The chef stared at the Union Jack bandana as if it was vomit or a dead animal, gingerly reaching for the envelope. Opening it after Arthur had left; he opened it and began to read the note within.

_May 15__th__, 2013-_

_Alfred, I just want you to know that I am sorry for what I did. You might not think so; you may hate me, but I know you're a fair guy so please just listen to me. Last week I and Roseanne were going to get married, but we didn't because we don't love each other. She loves Liam and I love you. I didn't want you to know that I loved you because I thought it would be better for you; I didn't want to hurt you again. If you want to talk my number is (***)***-****, I understand if you don't want to though. –Arthur K._

Sighing Al set stuck the note in his wallet; if Arthur really wanted to apologize to him then he'd at least have to give him a chance. Wandering back into the main room of the diner he noticed Arthur sitting at a table in the corner. He was typing something on a laptop while sipping at a cup of what he guessed was tea. The Brit looked up at him momentarily before turning back to his computer, the bags under Arthur's eyes only made him look sadder.

"A-are you okay Mr. Jones? I heard yelling…" Lili asked, seeming a bit startled as she looked over at Arthur.

Al sighed and smiled at the young woman, "Yeah, its fine Lili. Why don't you go ahead and go on your lunch-break, I can handle things here."

Lili seemed a bit hesitant, but soon left the diner with only a passing glance at Arthur.

Alfred on the other hand was a whole different story, walking over to the small table he pulled out a chair and slumped down in it. Arthur looked up at him before closing his laptop, a small smile forming on his lips as he noticed the American was pouting. "Why are you here in Boston?" he asked, refusing to meet Arthur's eyes as he spoke. The book he'd been reading earlier was now set in his lap where he began to fiddle with the cover, feeling a bit awkward and irritated. It was like he was in high-school again, irritated with the smug punk though awkwardly attracted to him.

"I told you, I'm here to get you back Alfred," Arthur replied steadily, a smirk coming to his face.

It was too much like when they were younger, "There has to be more reason than that, be honest or I swear I'm going to leave you out here alone and never talk to you again."

The older man, now 28, sighed, "I got a job offer as an editor here in Boston, so I took it and now here I am. In fact, I've already moved into a new flat here…Burbank Apartments."

Alfred seemed to shift uncomfortably much to Arthur's amusement. "Do you know of it?" he asked, getting a nod in reply as Alfred looked out one of the windows.

"I…uh…live there," he said awkwardly.

Arthur lifted a brow before he chuckled quietly, figures. Things like this seemed to always happen between them, such a clique life they seemed to be living. "Well then, maybe later you'd like to come over later? We could go out and get something to eat, my treat," Arthur grinned at Alfred. "We could talk more then and I could try and…well…formally apologize…"

Alfred sighed, contemplating each option he had, finally he nodded. "Apartment 12, 6:30PM, don't be late."

**~O~**

Opening the door to his small apartment when the door was knocked on he came face to face with Arthur. His hair was slicked back and he was wearing a crisp dress-shirt, dress-pants, and of course the shoes were also meant to be worn on a special occasion. Alfred raised a brow at his choice of dress before he waved Arthur inside. "Common in," he muttered, "I don't see why you dressed up, were just going to McDonald's or something aren't we?" Alfred himself was dressed in jeans and his usual blue dinosaur hoodie with the spikes going down the back.

"Well, that's not exactly my idea of a date, but if you want to go there then I'm fine with it," Arthur shrugged. He didn't really care where they went, he was just happy Alfred was actually paying any mind to him.

The man led Arthur into the living-room where he turned, looking back at him in an almost annoyed manner. "I don't know when I agreed on going on a 'date'. I simply agreed to have dinner with you, letting you explain and then deciding if you're really worth giving a second chance or not. Thank you very much…" Al snapped as he grabbed his wallet from the coffee table. When he turned back to the British man he was surprised to find him pouting if it was even possible. Heaving a sigh he said, "Listen if you really want to call it a date then I'm fine with that, but I'm not going to."

Arthur grinned at Alfred, "That's fine by me, now let's get going, love!"

**~O~**

Sitting down at the one of the booths within the fast-food joint, Arthur and Alfred began to converse. Mostly it was just normal small talk about the weather, what the other thought of a movie, simple things really. Finally though, Arthur brought them to the topic he desperately wanted to discuss with the America. "So, about this whole matter between you and me," he started, making Alfred raise a brow. "I want to make sure it's clear that I understand I'm a complete idiot for what I did. I…I do love you Alfred, even if that means nothing to you anymore Al. I just…I thought I'd hurt you again if I told you I loved you."

Al stared at him for a moment wondering how the hell Arthur's mind worked. "So, you thought…by ripping my heart out and going to marry some girl would spare me from getting hurt?" he said, squinting at Arthur.

Arthur nodded, "I know, I'm an idiot and if you never want to see me again then…I can understand why."

Though he was rather irritated with the man for his stupidity, he had to admit it was kind of endearing in an odd way. Chuckling at the man, who stared at him in a hopeful way he said, "I think…I can give you one last chance…" The Brit grinned, reaching across the table to grab ahold of Alfred's hand though the American pulled it away soon after. With a small blush on his cheeks Alfred muttered, "I-I uh think that maybe we should…take it slowly. Then maybe if things go okay and stuff, I can consider maybe…more."

With a small smile, Arthur pulled his hand back to his own side of the table understanding Alfred's wish. "Of course, whatever you think will be best Al," he said calmly, watching Alfred as he ate his burger with a small content grin. Searching for a new conversation topic, and maybe a plan to meet up later, he suddenly remembered the book Al had been reading earlier. "Hey, maybe we should go to the book store tomorrow! It could be kind of fun, I mean you were reading that one book yesterday…so you must enjoy reading."

Shrugging Al smiled at Arthur, "Sure, that would be awesome and the book was Sherlock Holmes…just so you know…"

**~O~**

That night as Alfred lay in bed he smiled for once, feeling like the emptiness within him was gone for once and he was sure Arthur was feeling the same.

* * *

**:3 see? Isn't this just a feel good chapter?**


	9. Chapter 8: Kirkland Inn

Gwen-Ireland/Liam-Northern Ireland/Alistor-Scotland

* * *

Alfred smiled as the bell on the door chimed; alerting him that somebody had come into the diner. Turning in his chair after he'd set his book down, he found himself looking at a cheery Brit who seemed to have something hidden behind his back. "Same time as always Arthur, I'm surprised you can keep it up!" the American chuckled as he slipped out of his seat to go hug the other man. He was a bit surprised though when a bouquet of red, white, and blue roses were shoved in his face. With a nervous chuckle Alfred looked at Arthur for a moment as he cautiously took the bouquet into his own hands, "W-what are these for?"

Making a confused face at the younger man Arthur inquired, "Well it is your birthday correct?"

The American chuckled at Arthur, slowly shaking his head while he wrapped his arms around Arthur in a large bear hug. "It's not for three more days, Art. Today is Mattie's birthday though," Al chirped, letting Arthur wrap his arms around him as well.

He seemed a bit disappointed that he hadn't got Al a gift on his actual birthday, but as they went to sit down he seemed to forget about it. "Would you mind if I came over later?" Arthur asked bluntly, earning an off look from the American. It wasn't often the green eyed man was that blunt…Only when he was drunk or something was going on. "I wanted to take you somewhere," he said before adding hastily, "a…uh…restaurant."

Alfred nodded and continued to beam at Arthur, "Sounds awesome, dude! What time were you thinking of coming over?"

The Brit looked down at the table for a moment, tracing out a shape on the surface of its whitened wood. He quickly noticed it was the same spot that they'd sat in every time Arthur came in after work; the table in the corner nearest the door. Silently he wondered if Alfred picked the table because it was the one Arthur had sat in the first time he'd come to the diner. "Uh…well it's probably going to be late…Around nine or ten tonight," he looked up at the American with hopeful eyes as he spoke softly.

He was rewarded with a laugh from the American, who grinned at him happily in what Arthur hoped was some kind of agreement. "I took time off work to go camping, but of course my friends ended up bailing on me…So in other words that sounds awesome!" Al replied, enjoying the large smile he got from the British man. Alfred pouted though as Arthur suddenly grabbed his bag off the floor and got up from his seat. Sadly he muttered, "Your leaving so soon?"

Arthur sighed as he slung the bag over his shoulder and softly smiled at the American. "I have to go, I'm watching a kitten for a friend of mine till eight tonight," he explained, "I've been checking on him all day. His name is George Washington which sounds awfully like something you'd name your pet." The Briton made a motion towards the book Alfred had set on the counter which just happened to be a copy of the book _1776_.

Alfred seemed to calm down, even laughing as Arthur commented on his interest in U.S. history. "Okay, but you better hurry up and get to my place as soon as you can later!" Alfred called to Arthur who was making his way towards the door.

Looking back at Alfred momentarily, he said, "See you soon, Alfred!"

-o~O~o-

Later that night the American looked over his new clothing that his mother had sent him: a navy blue penny-coat with black pants and a light blue dress-shirt. As Alfred looked over the new clothing, he smiled happily and then began to grin when the doorbell rang. "Coming!" Alfred called as he rushed to open the door.

Arthur smiled at Alfred as the door flew open and he couldn't help but laugh at how much the golden haired male reminded him of a puppy. Lightly patting him on the head he chuckled, "Well, hello there Alfred…don't you look absolutely dashing." His slang made Alfred snigger as he quickly grabbed his wallet and headed out the door.

The Englishman could almost feel the excitement radiating of the younger man when he helped him into the car. Then the entire way to their destination it was nothing but a game of twenty unanswered questions. Finally though, when they made it out of town and into a more wooded area, the American seemed to go quiet. "Uh…Arthur, where are we going? Boston is back that way," he motioned towards where they'd come from, though Arthur simply ignored him. This only seemed to worry Alfred more, "H-Hey dude, your kinda starting to scare me…"

Arthur looked over at him for a moment from the wheel of his MINI before he reached a hand over to take Alfred's, "Just calm down Al, just trust me…"

Al seemed a little offset by the hand that was now linked with his own, but he didn't complain. Usually he'd pull his hand away from the British man though at the moment he actually enjoyed having him to hang onto. He just wished Arthur would give him a clue towards where they were going.

-o~O~o-

After about an hour of driving it was ten o'clock at night and they'd finally made it to their destination. It was a small inn out in the middle of nowhere, white in the moonlight with long vines and flowers running up the sides. Alfred couldn't help as he stared at the beautiful building, admiring how well groomed it seemed even when the house looked so old. "Welcome to Kirkland Inn," Arthur announced, "owned by the Kirkland family since the 1800's. I thought you'd enjoy it seeing as you're into the whole American history stuff…my older sister Gwen owns it at the moment."

Alfred nodded as he was lead up to the door by Arthur who seemed to refuse to surrender the American's hand. When he opened the door it was like a breath of sweet, summer air had hit him and he was a little scared to step inside. He didn't want this all to be some beautiful illusion that would shatter once he stepped through the door! Arthur urged him inside though and they slowly sauntered down the handsome hallway. It had nice white and red walls accented by deep, cherry wood floors. The lights and furniture all seemed to fit the scene as well, looking as if they were made in the correct time period of the house's architecture.

"Come along Alfred, into the dining room with you," Arthur continued to coax Alfred into farther into the house, "trust me, my sister's food is to die for!"

Alfred smiled softly as he was lead into a small dining room where a large cherry wood table sat. Arthur was quick to pull out a chair for the American before he went to sit across from him. With a shy smile Al looked around the room, its walls were decorated with beautiful deep blue wallpaper. "Does your family really own this place, Arthur? It's absolutely amazing!" he asked, looking at the smiling man across with him with astounded blue eyes.

Making small talk, a woman with beautiful orange hair soon came out of the kitchen. She had a tray in her hand that she quickly set on the table before heading off into the kitchen again. The second time she came out with a large pitcher filled with a yellow juice. Giving a playful smile, she announced, "Homemade chicken noodle soup, fresh bread, and some lemonade! Make sure you stop in the kitchen later for wine and dessert, okay little brother?"

Arthur blushed lightly at the name, but soon after she left he began smiling again and seemed a lot less tense. "Uh, that was Gwen if you haven't already guessed," Arthur muttered as he took the two bowls off the tray and cut up the bread. Soon after, he poured them both glasses of the lemonade, jokingly toasting to the American's health and also his wealth.

"Arthur this is really, really amazing," Alfred muttered, his eyes filled with wonder as he cheerfully smiled at his friend. In his mind he kept telling himself to stay calm and not make a fool of himself, still stuck on the thought that the beauty would shatter if he made one stupid comment.

The Brit just grinned as he ate his soup, "I just wanted to do something special for you on your birthday…"

Alfred nodded; it really was something special without a doubt in Alfred's mind. It was kind of silly though that it was three days before his birthday, but he didn't mind in the least. He'd just call it an un-birthday like one of the characters from _Alice in Wonderland_.

Eating slowly and making small talk as they did, soon they found themselves in the kitchen like Gwen had advised. "I told her to make you a zebra cake," Arthur grumbled as he looked over the carrot cake skeptically. The American only grinned though as he quickly cut two slices and set them on the plate that Gwen had provided them with. But as Alfred began to eat he came across a problem: there was only one fork.

"Uh oh, looks like Gwen forgot about you somehow! Where's the drawer with all the forks and stuff?" Al asked, looking around the dark kitchen frantically. Arthur only shook his head and held up a hand to stop Alfred from flailing like he was.

"I don't like sweets much, so it's okay," he explained making Al pout, but he continued to eat the cake anyways.

Soon enough though, Alfred held up a forkful of the carrot cake and grinned stupidly at Arthur. "Common, eat this much? For me?" he asked with a bit of his pout coming back. The Brit raised a large brow at the other male before he sighed and leaned in to eat the cake. He made a face when he first tasted it; however he found as the American fed him more it tasted better. That might have been the wine talking though….

The night only seemed to get better as they headed into the garden that was lit with a bunch of small lanterns. The pale lights looked beautiful against the roses and other plants that populated the large, fenced in garden. Alfred's mind was in other places though while he leaned against Arthur. The two sat on a pretty little white bench in the middle of the garden and Alfred couldn't help but think how clique the moment seemed. His mind continued to shift through a number of different thoughts, before long his mind settled on the hand wrapped around his again.

"We should buy a place like this…open a bed and breakfast…I've always wanted to do something like that," Arthur softly said, looking up at the stars for a few moments in wonder. "Have a place to do what I wanted, my own little heaven I guess you could say."

Alfred simply chuckled, bumping their shoulders together in a playful manner, "I think you've had a bit too much to drink Artie…"

"No, no, no," Arthur said hurriedly, "we should do it! I could buy the place and, oh! We could get married!"

"W-what?" the American exclaimed as Arthur turned so that he could hold his face between his hands.

Arthur was a bit drunk off his arse, he'd later admit, but he wasn't drunk enough to be oblivious to the fact that Al had no idea what he meant. With a soft sigh and a drunken smile he said, "Alfred, I want to do this with you…because…I love you. I want you to be happy and I think that I might be able to do that…" His voice became quiet as he made his confession, making the American shift a bit uncomfortably and his face turn a bright red.

Arthur chuckled as he looked over Alfred's dazed expression before he cooed gently, "Alfred, I do love you…so please trust me."

When Arthur leaned in to press his lips against the other man's quivering ones, he suddenly felt hands shoving gently against his shoulders. "A-Arthur I'm sorry…t-this has been r-really amazing and everything…but I'm…I'm not ready for this again," Alfred murmured. He could feel his heart ache to take that back and let Arthur kiss him, but he just needed to wait a bit longer and be sure that this wasn't just another joke. He wasn't ready to trust Arthur with his feelings again…

"Sorry," Arthur muttered as he rose from the bench, causing the American to shiver from the cool breeze that took his place. "Why don't we go off to bed then, it's probably about 1 AM already…"

Nodding Al got up, following Arthur back into the inn and up to their room where they quickly got into bed. It was a bit uncomfortable seeing as they had to share, but Al didn't complain when Arthur wrapped his arms around him. In all truth it did make him feel giddy though he would probably never admit it till much later.

"Goodnight Artie," Alfred cooed.

"Night, darling," Arthur muttered sleepily.

-o~O~o-

Later the next day, around twelve o'clock in the morning they finally woke to find themselves wrapped around each other. The young American groaned quietly as he rolled his stiff neck, untangling himself from Arthur who attempted to do the same. "Sorry," Arthur mumbled as he noticed the American having trouble with his neck, "I forgot the beds here aren't the best…"

Al only smiled as he slipped from the bed, "No prob, just a bit sore in the neck." His voice trailed off as he looked out the window and got a full view of the lively garden in the back yard. He could make out three people walking down the paths out there and wished that he could be one of them for a moment. Then he noticed the bench sitting there in the garden, looking terribly lonesome as the people passed right by it without a single glance…

"I'm going to go shower," Arthur said, looking back at the Alfred who was staring out the window with an air of sadness. Looking over the American for a moment Arthur almost regretted what he'd done the night before in the garden, probably the source of Al's sadness and discomfort. He hadn't wanted that though…damn.

-o~O~o-

Once Arthur was out of the shower, he noticed an odd silence from the room and quickly called out for Alfred. It was clear when Arthur walked into the bedroom that Alfred wasn't there; this fact worried Arthur greatly. Checking the window first Arthur hastily pulled on his clothing and headed down into the dining room where he found a note on the table.

_Arthur, _

_ I'm going to be out in the garden, most likely I'll be out on the bench where we hung out last night. Come get me when you're out of the shower!_

_, Alfred_

Arthur sighed, happy to hear that Alfred hadn't left or something and soon found himself out in the garden. He was confused though when he didn't find Al sitting where he said he would be and quickly began to search around for him. He was surprised when he came across something odd…Gwen, Liam, Roseanne, and Alfred were all sitting under an oak tree at a small white table drinking tea. When Liam noticed Arthur he grinned, pecking Roseanne on the cheek with a small wink in his brother's direction. Alfred was next to notice him, grinning and getting up to hug him. Gwen and Roseanne simply smiled at him, giggling at the American's rather cute greeting.

"Hey dude, nice of you to come join us!" Alfred chirped making Arthur smile softly.

"What's up, big brother?" Liam asked, earning a shrug from Arthur as he came to sit down. It was very odd for him to just sit with three family members and the one he loved…He kind of felt trapped as they all seemed to be looking at Alfred and him.

"I haven't been up to much…just working really," Arthur said, recalling that he had in fact been spending more time with Alfred than at work. He didn't need his siblings knowing that though, they'd probably just start teasing him.

Roseanne chuckled as she sipped away at her small cup of tea, "And wooing over a lovely little boyfriend?"

At the question Arthur's face became a bright shade of red as Alfred's must have looked the night before. Alfred on the other hand just laughed a little and smiled at the woman that he'd actually come to enjoy talking to in the short period of time. "Well, not yet," Alfred said, "I'm still a bit…scared…I guess you could say, so we're taking it slow…"

Gwen only smiled at them, "We're always ready to welcome another person into the family, just remember that…"

Alfred looked at her for a moment before he reached over and grabbed Arthur's hand, a bright smile on his face. Arthur seemed to calm down a bit as Alfred squeezed his hand and the five soon slipped into a long conversation.

* * *

**Wow, well this took forever...but it came out pretty well I think...**


	10. Chapter 9: Fever

**It has been so long since I've posted something and I AM SO FUCKING SORRY! I know I've said that a lot and I've made a lot of promises that I would post chapters quicker, but this time I think I can actually promise you something…I will be posting this chapter and another chapter on Lights, Camera, Fraction. After that there WILL NOT be any more chapters for the next 2 weeks due to finals. This promise may be broken, though I doubt it.**

"Alfred?" Arthur called as he walked into the diner almost two weeks later. It was a sunny day out in Boston meaning it was very warm and a sheen of sweat showed on Arthur's forehead. Setting his bag off to the side in his usual seat, he was surprised that he hadn't got a reply yet. He was further surprised though when Lili suddenly burst through the doors of the kitchen.

"Arthur!" she exclaimed with a deep look of worry on her small face. That look alone was enough to make Arthur's skin crawl as he raised a brow at the young woman. Turning back to the doors for a moment she simply motioned for Arthur to come, "He collapsed."

With those few words he was sprinting through the doors and into the kitchen, leaving Lili behind. Immediately he could see the American trying to pull himself off the ground though he was shaking so badly Arthur knew he wouldn't get far. "A-Alfred stop," he said loudly, Al's eyes suddenly focused on him. The weak smile he gave made Arthur sigh, calming down a bit. Walking over to his side he held out a hand for him and tried to keep his voice from shaking, "Alfred, can you stand?"

Alfred simply shook his head and attempted to stand again, though Arthur reached down once more for Al. "A-Arthur stop," Alfred muttered as he tried to pull away from the older man. "I can do it myself….I don't….don't need your help…."

"I-I think…he's dehydrated, I tried to get him to drink something, but he wouldn't swallow it," Lili sighed, finally coming in behind them.

"No," Arthur said, shaking his head lightly, "I think he just has a very bad fever..." Crouching down he managed to grab Alfred's hands and keep them still. He then gathered him up in his arms and though Alfred tried to struggle, Arthur carried him to the door. In all honest Arthur was scared. He could almost feel the heat radiating off Alfred and he could also feel him shaking badly. It made him wonder how long Al had been holding out on doing something about his sickness. Hearing a sigh he smiled lightly, Alfred finally calming down.

Lili opened both the kitchen doors and the front door, giving Al her best wishes on their way out. She even went so far as to go out and open the door of Arthur's MINI. "Thank you Lili, I'll make sure he gets taken care of," Arthur promised the young woman. She only smiled back and nodded as Arthur set Alfred in the passenger seat. They then quickly said their goodbyes and got in their cars and headed their separate ways.

"I don't need to go home," Alfred groaned once they were on the road.

Arthur only huffed and leaned over to turn on the AC for the American, "Alfred, you collapsed and couldn't get up. You need to go home and rest…."

The rest of the ride back to their apartments was silent, kind of awkward if you asked the drowsy American. Finally though, they made it back home and Arthur picked Al up again so that he could carry him up to their apartments. Glancing at Al's apartment door and then off towards his own, he grimaced, "I think I'm going to take you to my place." Alfred only sighed and pressed his face into Art's chest. The Briton couldn't help but smile at the adorable action.

Hastily finding a way to open the door while carrying Alfred bridal style, he stepped into the messy entry way. "Heh," Al made a noise as he looked around the room, "it's so messy…."

"Well I haven't gotten a chance to clean lately," Arthur exclaimed with a light blush on his cheeks. It of course didn't compare to Alfred's own blush which was a deep red, a reminder of how sick he was. Not even taking his shoes off first, Arthur took Al back into his room and set his on the bed. "Lay down, darling," he muttered, "I'll go get the thermometer." Al nodded with a small smile on his face which helped Arthur calm down just a bit.

Making himself comfortable he waited for Arthur to come back, enjoying how cool the room felt. Everything good has to end at some point though, he guessed, as the room soon became too hot again. Bringing a hand up he tugged at his white tee-shirt until finally he managed to pull it off. He then simply dropped it off the side of the large bed, Arthur walking in shortly after with a worried look on his face. "It was…a bit too hot in here," Al tried his best to chuckle though it came out light and airy instead of relaxed like he wanted it to be.

"Would you like me to turn on the air conditioner, Al?" Arthur asked. Coming to stand beside the sunny blonde, he held out the thermometer. He tried his best not to let his eyes linger on the American's exposed body.

Shaking his head, Alfred opened his mouth for the thermometer that was then set in his mouth. "I'm fine," he muttered around it. The heat he was feeling and how dizzy he felt was very uncomfortable, but somehow he'd had worse. A beep came from the small device and Arthur pulled it back to look over the small screen on it. He then slowly shook his head, staring down at Alfred in an almost amazed manner. "Is it bad?" Alfred asked, his blue eyes opening a bit wide in fear that he would have to go to the hospital.

Arthur sighed and ruffled Alfred's hair, "It could be worse. I just would like to know how you even managed to work with a 104 degree fever…"

Alfred shrugged as he let his head rest on the pillows once more, "I've always been tough when it came to sicknesses." He then opened one eye to look at Arthur with an almost playful smile. "It was just fainting that I had a problem with," he muttered, earning an eye-roll from his companion.

Excusing himself from the room Arthur hastily went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water for Al. He also made sure to grab some Tylenol for the other man to take with it. Without further ado he returned to his room where the American was now curled up and asleep on his bed. Careful not to wake him he set the glass on the night stand with the pills and gently pulled the eyeglasses from Alfred's face. Placing a soft kiss on his forehead Arthur headed out into the living room where he sat down on the sofa.

Running a hand through his hair he looked down at all the papers strewn across his coffee table and the room in general. "I am a mess," he grumbled to no one in particular before standing to clean up some of the mess.

* * *

The next morning Arthur woke up on the sofa with a book pressed to his chest. It was a copy of Romeo and Juliet that he must have fallen asleep while reading the night before. Letting out a groan as he brought himself to stand, he looked towards his bedroom. "Alfred?" he called as he walked into his room. The first thing he noticed was that Alfred had moved, but then he noticed that the water and pills were gone off the table. "Good to see that you're trying to get better," he muttered, picking up the glass. He was happy that Al seemed to be trying to take care of himself despite his earlier complaints. Leaving the room he came back with a full glass of water and more pills just in case the sunny blonde needed them.

"Arthur?" the voice surprised said person, but he was happy to hear that Alfred was awake. His voice sounded a lot better than it had the day before and he seemed to be shaking a lot less now. Sitting on the edge of the bed Arthur grinned at the American who was now sitting up, a hand pressed to his forehead.

"Hey there, love," Arthur chuckled, causing Alfred to blush a little though Arthur passed it off as the American still being sick. Holding the glass of cold water out he smiled and hummed, "You look a lot better today….Here, have some water."

Closing his eyes as he gulped down the water, he tried his best to nod. "Yeah, I feel a lot better too," Al chirped and let Arthur take the glass so as to set it on the nightstand.

"Good," Arthur said with a satisfied nod, "maybe we should take your temp again. Just to check, you know?" He didn't miss the eye-roll he got from Alfred before he got up to grab the thermometer off of the dresser where he'd left it the night before. Walking over to the bed once more he noticed Al quickly move to sit on the edge of the bed. With a small calming smile Art changed out the plastic cover of the thermometer, "Okay, open up."

Al did as he was told and the closed his mouth once the tip if the thermometer was secure under his tongue. The silence made him a bit uncomfortable as he waited for that beep. He hoped he would be well enough to go back to work. He really hated taking time off because it kept Lili from getting her pay-check. Letting his mind wander, the small beep from the device made him jump and the thermometer fell from his mouth.

Arthur was quick to pick it up off Alfred's lap and smiled at the results that he read off of the screen, "Well, you certainly recover quickly, 99 degrees!" Arthur ruffled his hair again, causing Alfred to chuckle lightly.

"So, does this mean I can go back to work tomorrow?" Alfred asked with a raised brow. He'd reached up and taken a hold of Arthur's hand. This had caused the older man to blush rather brightly.

Opening his mouth for a moment Arthur simply sighed and nodded. He didn't want to speak and risk Alfred pulling his hand away. Sitting down on the bed next to him, he threw the thermometer on the nightstand. His thumb lightly caressed the back of the American's hand and he looked over the joined digits in a loving manner. "Yes, I suppose. If you really want to go to work on a Saturday," he said with a light smile, mirth in his voice whilst he pulled Alfred's hand up to press a feather-light kiss to the back of it.

The gesture in turn caused Alfred to blush, though he didn't pull his hand away from Arthur. It had been a few weeks as he'd promised Arthur and he did feel like he could give him a solid answer now. Closing his eyes he leaned over, placing a soft kiss on Arthur's cheek before he lost his courage. He didn't miss how much warmer Arthur's face was as he pulled away, nor the deep red tint to his features. "A-Alfred," he muttered, pulling back to look over the blue-eyed male. Their eyes met for a moment and Arthur could almost hear his heart beating as did Alfred.

"Arthur," those blue eyes flickered cheerfully as he playfully responded with the man's name.

Arthur raised one of his large eyebrows at him before he chuckled and pulled Alfred into a tight hug. One that Al quickly returned with as much enthusiasm as he could. When they finally pulled away from each other Arthur pulled a hand up to caress Alfred's face affectionately. His eyes were soft as he leaned forward to press one more kiss to Alfred's forehead. "So, I guess this means that we're dating again?" he asked, very giddy when he got a nod in response.

"But," Alfred said, his face suddenly going very serious as he set a finger on Arthur's nose like he was scolding a dog. "If you mess-up this time, I want you to know that it'll be very, very easy to find a new boyfriend."

Making a face Arthur nodded, "I understand. Trust me, it won't happen…" He was cut off though when Alfred's finger slid down to press to his lips. Arthur brow scrunched together in a perplexed expression though Alfred simply smiled at him.

"Where is your shower?" The question seemed odd, but then Arthur finally remembered that the American had been suffering a fever and was probably sweaty.

"Ah yes," he pointed towards the bathroom and gave Al his best smile. He continued to smile back as he stood up and bug in his pocket, pulling out keys which he then gave to Arthur. As he sluggishly walked off towards the bathroom, he called back to the Briton to go get him new clothes. Arthur of course was very happy to go do so.

* * *

When Arthur returned to his apartment he was surprised to find Alfred watching TV on his couch with nothing but a towel on. "A-Alfred, I…brought you your clothes," he muttered, coming to set the clothes on the couch beside the naked man. Al looked up at him in a way that was way too innocent for a grown man and smiled at him, further taking the breath out of Arthur.

"Hey, I was wondering when you'd be back. Thanks honey," he said cheerfully and stood to take the clothing into the bedroom. Arthur followed after him with pure intentions he would assure any person that asked. His eyes quickly moved up to Al's face as the American turned around to say something to him. It was quiet at first as Arthur attempted to pull his mind from…dark places...and bring them back to the real word. "I was going to wear some of your clothes till you brought mine back, but then I decided that may be a bit weird…" Al muttered and Arthur quickly ducked into the bathroom when the sunny blonde dropped his towel.

Looking over himself in the mirror for a moment he noted that he had in fact forgot to change that morning, his mind having been on his sick lover. Walking back into the room he kept his eyes on the floor until he got to his dresser where he grabbed out a plain black tee-shirt and a pair of jeans. As a second thought he grabbed out a belt and headed towards the bathroom. "So, Alfred," he called as he was tugging off his clothing from the day before, throwing them into the hamper. "Are you going to be free to stay over this weekend?"

Alfred walked into the bathroom then with a small smile on his face, not looking too interested in the Brit. "Eh, I don't think I have anything to do. If you want to hang out then I wouldn't mind," he chortled as he made a face at the mirror. Sticking his tongue out he looked over at Arthur who had just pulled on his jeans and was now working on his shirt, "You didn't bring my tooth brush or anything did you?" He pouted slightly when Arthur shook his head and grunted. Alfred had always been one who liked to take care of his teeth, as endearing as he thought Arthur's crooked teeth were he hated yellow teeth. They were just gross.

"You didn't tell me to bring them," Arthur muttered as he stood up and walked over to the medicine cabinet. Pulling out a deodorant stick and a bottle of British Sterling he turned to Al saying, "If you want you can use my stuff. It won't kill you…."

Making a face the American took the stuff from the green eyed man and quickly sprayed himself with the cologne. He looked a little pissed that he had to use Arthur's, though it was probably better than nothing…he didn't want to smell like a hobo or something even if he was just going to be staying at Arthur's house. Noticing the face that he made the Brit rolled his eyes and ruffled Al's hair, "Oh come now, it's not that bad…besides, don't you like my cologne?" Alfred then bit the inside of his lip, slightly glaring at the other man before he handed the bottle back and walked off into the bedroom.

The rest of their day was spent cuddling and bickering back and forth with one another.

* * *

**So yeah…Am I the only one that thinks England would wear British Sterling cologne? Seriously, they need to talk to the company and make that cannon.**


End file.
